Ricoh Arena boss looks forward to successful year for venue

The chief executive of the Ricoh Arena is looking forward to "another memorable year" following success in 2009.

Daniel Gidney, who runs one of the Midlands' leading venues, wrote for the Coventry Telegraph that last year saw the arena raise its profile on a national and international scale.

He said that 150,000 fans came to sell-out concerts in 2009, with the likes of Take That and Oasis topping the bill of acts playing at the Ricoh Arena.

"Looking forward, we have a confirmed three-day booking in June for 3,500 delegates and we also have a repeat booking for a conference for 2,500 people which are both for major blue-chip clients," Mr Gidney revealed.

In the final three months of last year, conference bookings were up by 40 per cent compared to the same period in 2008, he added.

The O2 Arena was recently named the most popular music venue in the world after it sold more than two million tickets last year.